In-House vs. Content Writing Agency: Which is Better for Your Business?

Quality content is at the core of any business, and it's the way they mean to achieve online success by boosting online visibility, driving organic traffic, or, in any event, generating leads. You can make content in two ways: by recruiting an in-house resource or hiring a content writing agency. It can get very complicated to sort out which one possesses all the necessary qualities.

Nonetheless, we will talk about them--their benefits and challenges, in this blog, so that you can make an informed business decision.

Let's get started!

What is an In-House Content Writer?

An in-house content writer is someone who works directly with a company or an organization at their premises. An in-house content writer is one on the payroll of the organization who contributes to a company's writing full-time or part-time.

Top Benefits of Hiring an In-House Content Writer

Better Understanding of the Company and Audience

An in-house content writer goes through the same hiring process as the rest of the team. This means they become fully aware of the ins and outs of the company they are working for.

By fully investing themselves in the business processes, they will better understand the brand identity, tone, and language than a content writing agency.

An expert in-house content writer can leverage this better understanding and knowledge of the company to craft much better and more in-depth content that drives the desired results.

Easy Cross-Team Collaboration

Sometimes a content writer needs to collaborate with teams other than marketing to publish content. For instance, writing a sales copy to pitch to a potential buyer requires approval from the sales manager to ensure that it is up to the mark and aligns with the sales goals. Other times, an in-house content writer may be asked to write a guest post on behalf of an executive.

So, in such situations, an in-house content writer easily collaborates with members of different departments. Moreover, they are more likely to work cohesively and in perfect harmony. They can easily reach out to each other and collaborate more effectively and efficiently to achieve a common goal.

Major Challenges of Hiring an In-House Content Writer

Lengthy Hiring Process

It takes time to hire an in-house content writer. Prior to negotiating hiring and onboarding, a corporation must first write a job description, then budget for the needed position, interview a large number of applicants, shortlist them, and administer an assessment exam.

As a result, hiring an in-house content writer may take weeks, or even months, if they are currently employed elsewhere, in order for them to fulfill their notice period, which is typically 2 weeks. However, if time is of significance in your organization, employing a content writing service becomes a superior alternative due to its expedited recruiting procedure.

Expensive & Requires A Lot of Resources

Hiring a content writing agency is significantly less expensive than hiring an in-house writer. You will have to pay for the in-house content writer's salary, benefits, and paid time off, among other additional costs. Not only that, but a content writer often has at least a $45,000 salary per annum.

What is a Content Writing Agency?

Content writing agencies are service providers with a specialty in writing top-notch content to help achieve their clients’ marketing goals. They are a team of expert content marketers that can help in devising content strategy, ideation, and even SEO.

Top Benefits of Hiring a Content Writing Agency

Cost-Effective

When opposed to hiring an in-house content writer, using a content writing agency is comparatively more cost-effective. This is because hiring a content writing agency eliminates the need for you to worry about the monthly salary and provides a host of other perks and bonuses. There won't be any other expenses; you will only pay for the services you obtain.

Scalable

An effective content marketing strategy requires consistent content development across several platforms massively. This means you would have a lot on your plate. And if you are a startup and want to create content at scale, then hiring a reputable content writing agency is probably the best course of action you can take to achieve your marketing goals.

An in-house content writer will have limitations in keeping up the pace of taking on and completing all the projects in time. On the other hand, a content writing agency will bring in more resources from its vast talent pool to fulfill the requirements of your projects.

If you want to scale down your content, either due to a change in marketing strategy or financial constraints, a content writing agency will decrease its resources accordingly.

Major Challenges of Hiring a Content Writing Agency

Less Understanding of Your Business

Every company has a different strategy for content marketing. A major challenge of using a content writing firm is that it takes a very long time to comprehend the intricacies of your company. It will need time for them to develop a distinct brand voice that accurately represents your company.

An in-house content writer will definitely be able to grasp the complexities of your business and product or service. However, a content writing agency can also pick up the details of your business if the relevant business materials are provided in due time, especially the time when you actually hire them.

May Produce Generic Content

In general, content writing agencies may struggle to understand your business, product, or service. And that’s why you can’t reflect your brand voice on the content. They have mostly worked with numerous clients and produce content at scale. Consequently, this may lead to producing generic and sometimes subpar content that just could not work for your business.